Strobe for buddy tracking?

[DanLW]

I got my OW in tropical waters. But dives 5 and 6 for me were in the Netherlands in perhaps 1m vis. To make a long story short, losing track of my DM twice and having to surface got me thinking about buddy tracking. I've read some threads on the topic, but have a question about one particular aspect of buddy tracking. Is a strobe light of any use for tracking? I didn't see much discussion on strobes, and doing a search for strobes brings up all the threads on camera strobes.

What I would think would make sense is for both of us to have lights, and a strobe light which would be normally off. If we lose track of each other, then the procedure would be to turn on our strobe, look around for a minute, then surface. The theory here would be that a strobe light would be brighter than our regular lights, and so we would be able to (ideally) re-acquire each other. Once we got back in contact, the strobes would go off so that the blinking wouldn't get annoying.

So, my question for those with more experience than I is whether this would work, of if I should save the cost of a strobe light ($44.95) and apply that towards something else?

On a related note, is a device like a light stick of any use for buddy tracking in low vis, or are light sticks more for buddy tracking on night dives in very clear waters?

Here are the lights on my shopping list:

Trident Dive Master Safety Strobe
Constant On Lazer Stik
DRIS Dive Gear 1000 Lumen Dive Light

Thanks!

 

[diversteve]

re: the Lazer-stik - I'd save the money. I bought a similar one and my buddy said he couldn't see it well enough to ID me in a group of other divers - all with some sort of tank light on. I had the only orange one also - in retrospect probably not the best color choice. In 100'+ visibility one night in the Turks/Caicos. To be fair, this is the one I have: Aquatec LED Mini Light, Constant On

If you do want a Lazer-stik, they're cheaper at LeisurePro. They ship internationally also. Lazer-stik Battery Powered Marker Light, Constant On

Something else you can distinguish pretty well is a Glo-Tube. There's all sorts of patterns it will do so it catches your eye more than a solid-on light also IMO. It's not going to be anywhere near as bright as the strobe you're considering though. It is an LED so about as bright as a cheap single LED flash light but more diffused. Glo-Toob FX Light Stick

 

[00wabbit]

I am taking a intro to tech class right now and one of the things the instructor is telling us is not to use gear to replace skills.

You and your buddy need to be more vigilant when the vis drops. Move into closer contact and swim wing on wing so you can glance over at each other to check.
Also if you are using flashlights as you would in a low vis situation position your light out in front and have you buddy do the same. As long as you can see his beam then you know he is there.

---------- Post added July 20th, 2013 at 07:22 PM ----------

Get that DRIS 1000 lumen light on your list and get your buddy one too. They are bright enough and narrow enough beam to use in the way I described above and they are useful pieces of gear. LAter if you move to a bigger can light you can keep it as a backup light.

 

[Crass3000]

While I agree with those that have mentioned not to use equipment to replace skills, I have to be realistic and mention that my mom was doing her first OW dives with me and we were practicing on dive platforms. If she got a couple feet away from the middle of the platform I could not see her AT ALL, As in I has no idea where she was. Viz was maybe 3ft tops. She could have been drowning 3ft away from my and I would not have known it. Sure I could just swim on top of her the whole time but I was trying to help her with her skills. I would demonstrate something and then I would look back and have not idea where she was. Needless to say I didn't bring her back to that lake due to the possible danger due to having no idea where she was half the time. In really low viz I think a strobe isn't really a crutch and more of a safety tool. This is assuming you can even see the strobe 5ft away.

For those preaching from clear ocean waters, why use a strobe when night diving? I can guarantee you can see your buddy better at night without a strobe than some of us in low viz waters can see our buddies in good sunlight during the day.

 

[Steve_C]

I have done a couple boat dives where a light was put on a lift bag over the anchor. In clear water any light will do almost. However, I remember one dive in about 5-10 ft of viz and they had a heavy duty strobe on the bag. It did make it easier to spot the anchor. Not a giant difference but you could detect the light before you saw anything else. So you could spot the light from say 15 ft away. Actually you could tell the light was there even though you could not see it directly.

Of course the less the viz the less the strobe can help in terms of additional feet of detection.

 

[Searcaigh]

When I lived in Jeddah, we used a strobe on a weight to mark the exit / entry point for our night dives to help with navigation, worked very well.

I have frequently thought of mounting it on my tank valve or strap as a location beacon too during low viz situations which are frequent at my current local dive sites.

 

[DanLW]

I am taking a intro to tech class right now and one of the things the instructor is telling us is not to use gear to replace skills.

You and your buddy need to be more vigilant when the vis drops. Move into closer contact and swim wing on wing so you can glance over at each other to check.
Also if you are using flashlights as you would in a low vis situation position your light out in front and have you buddy do the same. As long as you can see his beam then you know he is there.

I do agree that skills are paramount. But at 6 dives, my skills just aren't there yet. On dive 5, when I lost my DM, it took perhaps 5 seconds for it to happen. I'm not sure what happened, but I was probably distracted looking at something, clearing my mask, or just dealing with my overall inability to maintain good trim, attitude, and overall control. On my 6th dive, I tried really hard to stay focused on his light, and didn't lose him at all, although I came close a time or two when his light got really dim in the murk.

So my point is, I'm considering a strobe as a backup. The idea is have a plan (keep track of my buddy), and have a backup plan (turn on a strobe), in case the first plan doesn't work. The ultimate goal is to reduce or eliminate lost buddy ascents to maximize bottom time.

From other responses, it sounds like the strobe will be a good purchase, but the lazer stik will be a dubious investment which has little chance of helping anything. So I'll likely get the strobe, which I'll need anyway (among other things) when I do an open ocean boat dive, and save the $15 or so on the laser stik.

Thanks!

 

[Rich Keller]

I am sure a strobe would give you a little better penetration in low vis but not enough that it would make much of a difference. If you only have 1m vis I would suggest a no tech solution, try holding a 2m line between both divers. You could also try a diver at each end of a 2m PVC pipe with lights attached to the pipe between the divers.

 

[jbark]

My thinking is similar to Rich's: hold onto your buddy's arm. Or go home and read a good book.

I have only dove once where the vis was 1m or so and I just held onto my buddy's wrist, I never lost him once and we were able to complete the dive's objective.

Keep it simple,
Jerry

 

[ScubaPink]

I personally do not see any issue with using a strobe light as a signaling measure should you become separated. I think what others were implying is becoming complacent in keeping track of your buddy making the strobe a crutch (which doesn't sound like what you are considering) That being said, I do not think I would want to even dive in those conditions. What could you possibly see?
Another thing to think of- would it cause alarm for other divers if they saw a strobe? Think you had a problem?